Searching for You
by Bridgettalladega
Summary: Just so everyone knows, yes, I changed the title. Mai is a girl from Hei's past- will they ever get the chance to be together again?
1. Chapter 1

**Bridgettalladega: Okay, so this is a new story of mine! For anybody who's read my other story, don't worry- I'll still keep updating that one and now this one too!**

**Best friend: Sure...that's what they all say...**

**Bridgettalladega: No! I mean it! And just like my other story, I do switch my povs (I find it fun...ner? to write that way) Anyway, review! **

_10 years ago_

"_Hei." I whispered softly, my throat dry, parched. I tried to open my eyes, but found them to be crusted in blood. I knew I had suffered a head wound when the gate disappeared, but I never knew how bad it was until this moment, when I ran my fingers over the scar, which proved to be a deep gash just below my hairline. After constant blinking, I was able to see, though my vision was still blurry. The sight waiting for me made me wish I couldn't see at all._

_Body parts, fragments of the gate, and the rubble from the spaces covered the ground in front of me. I took a deep, shaking breath in, only to be met with the scent of decay, the scent of hopelessness. I sat up, weakly, and vomited up all that was in my stomach, which was growling menacingly, even with the sight in front of me. Standing up, I took two shaky steps, and stared at the sky. It was only afternoon; I still had to wait until nightfall to find out who was alive and who was dead; who had made it out, and who was left here, somewhere, scattered around me. As much as I would've loved to curl up and stare at the sky all day, watching for the first breath of nightfall, I knew I couldn't wait until then to get started on getting supplies._

_I walked down to the space where I remembered the food storage to be held, only to find it blown to pieces. I looked around; there were only meager scraps here and there, which was the equivalent of a daily ration. Some of the items I didn't trust; especially the meat, not only because I knew the temperatures to be extreme here, but because I couldn't and wouldn't be able to tell where that meat had come from. Still, I couldn't afford to be particular, and took all that I could. _

_I carried the supplies down a clear-cut path through what used to be a forest, to the river where the members of our camp spent our off-days, and most of our nights. Some of my most tender, endearing memories happened down here, and wistfully, I wished I back there. _

_I reached the river and instantly, I knew it had been a hot day. The water was warm, a little cooler than normal hot bath water, but still comfortable. I looked around; nobody except me was left, and all I could hear was the quiet sounds of the babbling stream. I did need to clean off; slowly, I stripped down to nothing and waded in, the water soothing me incredibly._

_I eased myself into the luke-warm water. I began scrubbing until I felt that not only had the grime come off, but the top layer of my skin had too. I dunked my face into the water and let out my breath, slowly rising to the surface, before peering down at my reflection._

_I let out a strangled cry. My face was raw now; red, and still extremely scarred. The person staring back at me looked savage, not at all like the girl that used to seeing. The girl that I used to know, the one in the jungle looked fierce, ready for anything. This girl staring back at me looked like she had gone through everything, and had just barely made it out alive._

_I laid back, closed my eyes, and tried, more than anything, to block out any thoughts. I needed sleep; I needed my rest, to ready myself for whatever was to come._

_When I woke up again, the sky was a dark onyx, my dry skin glistening in the pale light shed by the fake stars. Quickly, I stood up, grabbing my clothes, and putting them on. Taking a deep breath, I tilted my head upwards- the chance was here, and it was now or never._

_A familiar star shone next to my own; Pai's. I breathed a shaky sigh of relief, and supported myself against a tree stump. There were others; Amber, Havoc's, and obviously, mine. I felt tears fall down my face; I didn't know whether Hei had made it or not- he never had a star, because he was never a contractor._

"_Please Hei…please, be alright." Suddenly, and unexplainably, I felt something jolt through my body, and as I slumped to the ground, reality slipped from my grasp...._

Although they tried to subdue my memories after that, my body and mind would not comply, and in the end, the Syndicate chose to place me as one of their top members. I did not think this was an honor, nor did I think that this was something to be proud of- in South America, Amber, Pai and I had figured out the Syndicate's motives and were against them at all costs. Still, I belonged to them- I could try to run, but in my own mind, I was too cowardly to do so.

"Mai! Wake up! Stop daydreaming and get to work!" I picked my head up out of my hands. My fingers brushed over the familiar, smooth scar on my forehead, filling me with a twinge of sadness.

"Sure." I stood up, and brushed past him, my mind still on the memory of the event that had happened ten years ago; the memory, which seemed like it had happened only yesterday.

* * *

_"No! January!" I screeched, tears threatening to drip from my eyes. Her eyes, blue and wide with shock, peeked out from underneath her blood-caked face._

_"H…Hei." Blood spurt from her mouth, falling to the ground with a sickening slosh. She fell down after it; her chest barely missing the red puddle by an inch. I tried running at her again; and again I was blocked. She looked around wildly, scared out of her mind. Her blonde hair, dampened with the rain and the dirt, wove itself around her delicate face, a face that did not match her fighter's body._

_"Hei! Hei!" She shrieked, blood pooling down her chin. She cried out in agony, and I charged, this time breaking through whatever was holding me back. I got to her and cradled her in my arms._

_"January, January…" I moaned. She withered in my arms._

_"Never trust…the cold." She hissed, limp…_

"NO!" I woke up screaming, my face drenched with a mixture of sweat and tears. I ran my hands through my hair- just a dream, just a dream. Slowly, I flopped back down onto the floor, and shut my eyes tightly.

It had been a long time since I had dreamt about her- thought about her even. She was such an important part of my life for so many years; it was almost as though I was forgetting part of my past by not thinking about her. The feelings we shared; the way we walked, held each other, kissed each other were so important to me at that time, and now-I had blocked them from my thoughts for so long. She had feelings, unlike any other contractor I had ever met. She felt the pain of killing, she felt herself die every time she stared at another lifeless body.

Her real name wasn't January- it was her code name, due to her birthday being on the twenty-seventh of the month. It was actually Mai- and it suited her more than her parents could have ever imagined when they gave it to her.

Just thinking about her made me ache, and I wondered why tonight, of all nights, she had bothered to enter my dreams. Remembering the dream, I gulped for air, and finding there to be none, I sat up and went outside.

Gazing at the sky, I tried hopelessly to pinpoint her star. When I had come from South America, the positioning of the stars had gotten mixed up, and I could barely tell where mine was half of the time. I slumped to the ground, knowing that I wouldn't get anymore sleep tonight.

I tried thinking of other things- Yin, Mao, Huang, Amber, Hell's Gate, Heaven's Gate, Pai, contractors, stars, payments, hope, dreams, misery, love, and every subject seemed to tie in with Mai somehow. She used to say that she was everything and nothing all at the same time, and it seemed, at least in this case, that she was right. The sun began to rise on the horizon, painting the dark black sky with pinks and purples and blues and yellows.

Mai used to claim that this was her favorite time of the day- this was the time when we'd roll out of the cots and start our daily base camp jobs- and she'd always revel in the fading darkness, the coming light. I used to stare out the flap at her, marveling in her tranquility, even in a time of war. She'd occasionally spot me, and run over, dragging me by my hand, making me watch as the sun crested the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She'd whisper. I knew they'd see her as weak if she was caught like this, but to me, this was the affectionate side that I loved to see.

"Yes, it is." I'd smile and pull her against me. At the first sign of movement, we'd stiffen, put on our cool front, and stalk away.

She was one of the most feared killers in our camps. She could be one hundred yards from someone, and still have a dead on kill. She was an expert in hand-to-hand combat too, so if her powers ever failed her, she'd have a back up. Sighing, I stood up. Another day of not knowing; another day of worrying, all thanks to a stupid dream.

I headed down to the usual meeting spot for the Syndicate group, only to find it still empty. I knew I was going to be the first one here, but I never realized how lonely, how cold it seemed without a companion. I wondered if she had a companion- wherever she was.

**Bridgettalladega: Oh my! Another girl in Hei's life?! OH MY! lol, so anyway....review!! Updates might take a while, but do not worry! I will update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bridgettalladega: Okay, so what I just noticed was that I am supposed to have disclaimers. Oops. So uh....I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH DARKER THAN BLACK! I mean, really, if I did, don't you think a girl named Mai would have a bigger part than what she does now (which is none, by the way.)**

**Best friend: Duh.**

**Bridgettalladega: If you weren't my friend....grr....anyways, enjoy!**

"Mai, the boss told me to tell you that he needs to see you in his office. Now." I smiled at my friend, who looked extremely anxious for me.

"Ah, don't worry Sumi, he doesn't scare me anymore." She gripped my hand tightly. "I'll be fine." I assured her. She gave me a weak smile, before returning to the line. I walked confidently up to the office, pushing the door open nonchalantly, and even more coolly undoing the top buttons on my work shirt.

"Ahh….Mai, just the worker I wanted to see." I sat down in the metal chair across from him, gazing at his expression, which was one I couldn't read.

Normally, I could read anybody's expression- even Hei's, way back when we were close. I could tell when he was worried, upset, or even nervous- though nervous was hard. As I pointed out to him, he'd curl his fingers back, so that they weren't quite a fist, but not an open-palm either, when he was nervous. He would laugh and tell me that I was too observant.

"About what?" I crossed my legs in what I prayed was an enticing manner.

"Well, from what I hear from the other workers, it seems that you have been doing your job extremely well. I think you're just the work needed to go to Tokyo this week for the convention- just the type of worker our company needs to send." I laughed inside to myself. While I knew that I wasn't the best worker- I barely worked, for god sakes- I had a feeling that they wanted me to try and seduce as many executives as I could.

Still, I really didn't want to go. What if, by some miracle, Hei remembered and cared about me, and was now searching for me? What if, on the week that I was gone, he came to find me? Contractors get killed often, so what if I never see him again, after we spent all that time looking for each other?

"I don't…I don't know…"

"I won't take no for an answer! You're clearly the most suited to go, and your plane leaves tomorrow at three. Kohana will take over your spot will you're gone." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't refuse; I needed this job.

"Okay." I stood up, walking out of the office, and back to work, my heart aching.

"What'd he say?!" Sumi asked, rushing up to me. I shrugged, bowing my head so she couldn't see the tears.

"I'm heading to Tokyo…" She squealed, happy for me. But she didn't know; nobody could know about my past, for fear I'd be killed or memories be erased.

Later that night, as I decided what to pack, my fingers carelessly pushed aside blankets and pillows, old clothes and old shoes. They brushed against the cool metal of a safe, which I undid, my fingers having the most control over my shaking body. I brought the safe to the bed, pulling out from it newspapers, pictures, article snippets, and other old things.

I took the article that was at the bottom, staring closely at a picture whose headline proclaimed: **Three killers from South American camp take the lives of 35**. There, in the picture, stood three unsmiling, unfeeling, contractors, two who looked like each other, one whose hair looked almost white in the black and white picture.

It was Hei and I and his sister, Pai. Out of those 35 people, I had killed 17 on that terrible night.

I remembered the day exactly. Hei, Pai and I were all heading down to the river, just to relax, take a break that Hei and I knew Pai needed. I was sunning myself in the water, my head tilted back, eyes shut, when I felt the water shift. I don't remember how I knew that it was an enemy; for all I knew, it could've been Hei or Pai, but I snapped my eyes open and concentrated.

"Enemies- from camp 5. They're here." I whispered, and the battle began. I saw people attacking Hei; there went 3. I saw people attacking Pai; there went 2. Some attacked me; there went 5. Before I knew it, seventeen people lay dead in the water around me. Pai ended up killing 9, Hei 9 also. I watched as Pai priced kicked in, her exhausted body falling to the ground with a thud. Hei and I drug her back to camp, where my own price kicked in.

"Mai…" Hei whispered. I could no longer keep my eyes open.

"Don't worry…I'll…wake…" I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that lasted for four days. When I woke up, I realized what I had done, and even though the papers tried to play it off like we had no feelings while we were killing, for at least two hours, I cried into Hei's arms.

It was the only place I felt safe; in his arms, his heart beating close to mine, the rhythm soothing my tired body.

* * *

"Today, you're going to figure out as much as you can about this group called the Holy Regency. Their leader is said to be a pretty strong contractor, so leave him out of it and strike the lower workers- especially a girl named Ayaka. We need to find out her whereabouts. We do know though her contract allows her to bend sounds, inflicting high-pitch volumes that can kill." Huang rambled off. I wasn't really paying attention, as much as I tried to.

Volume was another thing that reminded my muddle mind of Mai. She used to attack silently, killing her victims wordlessly, but when she was away from that part of her life, she was loud, boisterous, singing and laughing as if she wanted the whole world to know she hadn't been conquered.

Her singing, her sweet melodies, used to stick in my head sometimes. They were short songs, ones that she made up herself- still, I preferred them to any song I had ever heard. When we sat, alone at night, down by the river, she would begin her singing, her voice crystal clear, cutting through the darkness.

She called most of her songs depressing song, but I enjoyed them still. Maybe because they held her in them; maybe because her songs always expressed her feelings.

"Hei! Are you even paying attention! Dumb ass contractors…" My ears perked up at the sound of Huang's angry voice.

"Yes I was. I know what I have to do." I snapped, standing up. Yin grabbed at my hand, and roughly, I pulled away from her.

"Are you sure you're okay Hei? You seem aggravated." Mao concluded, jumping up on the bench built around a tree. I glared at him.

"Yes Mao, I'm fine." I knew I still sounded angry, but I couldn't help it. I began walking away, until Huang stopped me.

"Do you even remember that we don't know where she is?" I nodded.

"Yes; I'm going to find out." The sarcasm bit on my tongue.

"Hei!" Yin's voice cried out. I spun around, shocked.

"Yes Yin?" She bowed her head.

"Be careful." My heart warmed. I smiled at her as kindly as I could.

"Thank you, Yin." I began walking away; wishing Mai was here to see this. A doll and contractor friends? She would've smiled at the concept.

Bitterly, I walked down the street, wondering why today of all days might be a day where I would have to kill. I didn't know if that was the fate that Mai had suffered today- I hoped not. All I remembered was the screaming. Her pitch had been high, anxious- killing me more than Ayaka's price ever could. I had bolted upright on the cot, rushing outside. I had manage to take down one of their men, but the other two had drug her off like she was no more than one of the dead bodies they were used to seeing.

I had rushed into the main tent to tell the officials, but they merely dismissed her as nothing more than another casualty. This infuriated me; but of course, having to act rationally, I nodded and went back to my tent, defeated and depressed. Pai had tried to comfort me, and I had no choice but to move on- Pai needed me to protect her, after all.

All I could hope for, at the time, was that death had come swiftly for her, painlessly.

Now, since that dream, all I could hope was that really hadn't happened.

**Bridgettalladega: Whoo! Another Chapter! Anyway, reviews are always appreciated because without them I don't know how I'm doing! Also, it makes me sad :( Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! As I said on my other story, it feels like forever since I've updated! I would like to correct a mistake that without help, I couldn't have found: The 10 years thing. I thought it seemed extreme, but then when one of my reviews pointed it out, I found that it was five years. So, uh, thanks!!!**

**Best Friend: Stupid mistake.**

**Bridgettalladega: Well, never trust a certain website! (Not going to say which, but I think most people can figure it out...) Enjoy!!!**

"Flight 368, flight 368 to boarding. Flight 368 to boarding." The announcement system crackled, as I sighed heavily. Today was the day I had been dreading since I had heard of it. Now it was here, and I still didn't feel any better about leaving this city, possibly leaving any chance I had at finding Hei again. Still, I picked up my suitcases and headed onto the plane, just another ant in a never-ending boarding line.

On the plane, I tried to close my eyes and clear my mind. Truthfully, I hadn't been afraid of planes until after the war in South America. I hadn't been able to get over the images of planes gliding by, dropping explosives and other deadly things onto entire camps of contractors. Even though they didn't really have emotions, I knew that they had to feel something, watching those people die. Because I did; because I was a contractor too.

Around me, people jostled and bustled to get seated; to get into a comfortable seat before the plane took off. I chose a window seat, a spot secluded from the rest of the motion in the aisles.

"Excuse me miss, but do you mind me sitting here?" I looked up, taking my head out of my hand, to turn towards the voice. It was a man, a little older than Hei was…or should be. He had light, finely cut brown hair shaping a clean cut face. A muscular build with a lot of height to him. He also had deep blue eyes, but nothing like Hei's. I knew I had to stop comparing people to him, to accept them the way they were, but it was too hard and I never felt like doing it.

I knew I was settling myself into a mood, and Hei would've done all in his power to pull me out of it. Because, when I was angry, the old saying was implied- heads did roll.

"I guess; it's an open seat, right?" He sat next to me, nodding.

"I guess I didn't want to be rude. I thought you might be saving the seat for someone." I shook my head, staring out the window once more.

"Nope." I felt a hand rest on my shoulder; sharply, I turned towards him.

"Are you okay miss? You look pensive…I'm Hisao, by the way. I know it must feel odd talking to stranger about your problems, but you know, I'm here if you want to chat." My eyes widened; who did this guy think he was?

"No. I'm fine. But thank you…Hisao." I spun myself the other way, trying to concentrate on not concentrating on him.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"Do you think it's going to matter? We're going to be getting off in an hour or two, and then you'll forget all about my name."

"I don't think you're the type of girl that's forgettable. So, I'd still like to know it miss." I felt like throttling him. I knew I was in a bad mood, he knew I was in a bad mood- so why was he provoking me?! Better yet, why was I letting him?!

"My name is Mai." He stuck out his hand.

"Mai. Nice to meet you, Mai." It was going to be a long plane ride.

* * *

I walked aimlessly around, not really having any idea how to get started. Generally, the Syndicate would pinpoint the person and I'd kill- now, only half of that was true. Still, I knew that usually, I'd come up with a plan fairly quickly, but today, when I was as distracted as I had been in a long time, I couldn't come up with anything.

I sat on the ground, trying to think. I needed just a little bit of time to come to terms with my thoughts, and then I'd continue. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back, remembering, letting the warmth spreading throughout my body.

_At first, I thought nothing of the noise coming from behind me. When I realized that the sound was getting closer, approaching me, I became a bit tenser. I took a deep breath, preparing for an attack. But then, a familiar figure sat down besides me, causing me to smile. _

_"Mai, what are you thinking? Being out so late...by yourself too!" She grinned at me, knowing that, not only wasn't I truly upset, but also knowing that I was glad for the company._

_"You shouldn't be talking; and, I was thinking that you were still worried about Pai." She stated calmly. I sighed._

_"She's still sleeping, after all. I mean, I know she's slept longer than this before..."_

_"You're just a good brother, is all. A really good brother; did you know that? If Pai was my sister…well, let's just say she wouldn't be as well off as she is with you." I looked up at the stars, trying to mull over what she had said._

_"I miss the old stars." I whispered._

_"I know how you feel." I looked at her, bewildered. She didn't catch my look, though; because she was too busy looking up at the sky._

_"Really?" She nodded slowly, sucking in air._

_"Mmm hmm. I love watching the stars; or loved, I guess I should say. I feel so tiny when I look up and see them. Or, I used to. Now it just reminds me that I'm one of them. It's quite depressing." She gave a sad smile. I nodded. _

_"You're the only one…who I think, understands that."_

_"No; there are others. I'm just the only one around." She stood up, extending her hand. "Come on; Pai will be awake and looking for you." I believed her._

There were many tender memories like that one, I knew. There were others though, that were too horrible to think about. Like her getting kidnapped; like the images of her killing, blood spattering on her dirty face.

Those were the memories I wished I could erase, but I knew that if I did, I'd lose some part of her. And losing any more would be unbearable.

**Bridgettalladega: Awwww! Hahahaha I think it's cute! Although, I guess I should since it's my story...anywhos, review! Because, who knows: More mistakes might be hidden and I'll need help!**

**Best Friend: You need help, that's for sure.**

**Bridgettalladega: Rude much. Anyway, review! Adios!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! Well, now, after I said that, I'm going to complain. UGH! It's hard to write!! I know the ending but I don't know HOW to get there! Anyway...**

**Best Friend: If you could help, you'd be awesome**

**Bridgettalladega: Wow. Someone's being nice. Either way, enjoy the story! (Sorry if some of its kind of blah; truly, its hard to write!)**

The familiar thud of the plane wheels brought the only relief I had in hours. Hisao smiled sadly, leaning in and kissing my cheek before standing up. I felt ready to punch him in the face; this ride had been torture.

"It was great to talk to you Mai. I promise, I won't forget." I stood up, ready to dart after him. But then, I realized I didn't even have to do that. I turned away from the crowd of people exiting the plane, my eyes glowing red.

Truthfully, I wasn't a very cruel person- I hated using my powers, and I knew my payment for this wouldn't be best, but Hisao was just so annoying and when I used my contract, it wouldn't kill him. So, I let my eyes turn red and I felt water passing from somewhere to him.

I really didn't know where I conjured up the water from; usually, when I used my contract, it came from a nearby lake or even a puddle- but since there wasn't any water here, I assumed it had to be from someone. Probably me, but the thought that I was giving something of mine to him was too unbearable. I snickered, watching as he shoved his way through the crowd to the nearest restroom. It paid to be able to manipulate water however you chose. I yawned, my price already kicking in.

I knew my payment wasn't going to be as harsh as it had been numerous times before, but still, I was worried. I was in a strange city, with nobody to look after me…I shouldn't have done that to Hisao, but I had and now I had to pay. Numbly, I stumbled off the plane, trying to find the quickest route to the hotel I was supposed to be staying at.

I tried to think back to the last time I had used my contract- the last time I had suffered through a payment. It had to have been the night that I killed all those people…after that, I didn't remember using them again. Because, a few days later, was when I was whisked off by the group members of the people I had killed. I didn't know if it was rational for them to seek revenge or not, considering rational thought was exactly my specialty, but that's what they did and they hurt me more than imaginable.

I yawned again as I climbed into the backseat of a taxi that I knew I needed to get me to my building.

"Where to?" He questioned. I handed him the slip of paper, trying to conserve as much energy as I could. He nodded, before pulling off the curb and speeding down the street.

So, I knew when I had last used and suffered through the prices of being a contractor, but what I truly wanted to was when Hei went through what I had. When had he last used his contract?

I slumped in the seat, trying to recall what his contract even was; I knew his sister's was electricity and the ability to rearrange molecules…but Hei's…then, I did remember- he didn't have one. He wasn't truly like me, and I wasn't truly like him- we were different, and the same. And maybe that was why we were the way we were; so close, so reliant on each other- because we understood and could only imagine, what the other was going through. That was what I missed a lot- the way he could know, and not know what I was going through, all at the same time.

* * *

I couldn't afford to be wasting time like this- it was precious time that needed to be spent in locating Ayaka. If the Syndicate hadn't been able to pinpoint her, then she must have been disguising everything she does very well, covering all tracks and making sure she blended in with the crowd. I knew I had to start heading around, but it almost seemed useless- until, I got my first message from Huang.

"Hei…Hei…" The speaker that I kept tucked into my ear sprang to life.

"Yes?" I questioned, keeping my head down. It was all to look inconspicuous- making sure no one suspected anything was hard work.

"The Syndicate has been able to track her; apparently, she's been jumping from city to city. She's here now though, and works at Local Eats downtown." The earpiece crackled and died, the connection lost. At least, now, I knew where to go and find her.

I got to the bar downtown after a lengthy walk and looked in, observing the scene. There were only three people there- it was still early- and two looked to be customers. The other was tall, lanky, with black hair. It matched the picture of Ayaka Huang had showed me before.

I tried to quickly figure out the best plan of action. Of course, I could always play innocent Li, and get the information that way, but how long would that take? How long did I have?

I could capture her, torture her until she spilled and then release her from her misery, but how could I do that? On a day like today, when a person so dear to me had seemingly entered my thoughts again?

Mai used to tell me that I seemed to have two conflicting personalities, and that once day, they'd finally catch up to me. I didn't truly believe what she said then, but now, I was starting to see how maybe, just maybe, that was true.

I tried to think rationally through my options, sifting and sorting them according to their reasonableness. But there was no way I could truly do that- the Black Reaper, affected by his feelings? This certainly wasn't going to go over well with the team, and worse, the Syndicate. Smoothly, I walked into restaurant, sitting down.

Li was going to be my choice today- I reached down, into my emotions, and I let a single tear leak out of my eye.

"Excuse me sir…are you alright?" Ayaka asked, walking over towards me as the other two customers left. Perfect.

"Oh! I'm sorry to have burdened you…yes, I'm okay. I assume." I gave a weak smile.

"You don't seem it. Is there anything I can do?" I tried to think fast.

"No, but I'm glad to just talk to someone." I gave a polite smile. She sat down across from me.

"I'm happy to listen." Plan locked.

We ended up talking, I ended up getting the information. I killed. Walked away. Threw up in a corner alley. That, was one thing I couldn't take today. Killing, death, the air that seemed heavy after a fresh kill. It stung to have killed again; I new losing my composure wasn't a good thing to do, and although I had never done it before, as soon as I felt myself losing grip, I knew that I couldn't keep my cool. It had to be due to the fact that this was a memory I would keep, while the ones with Mai were slipping fast.

**Bridgettalladega: I kind of like to think that Hei thought of Mai as one of the only stable things in his life and vice versa. But you know, its up to interpretation! Anyway, review please!**

**Best Friend: Because there's crummy feelings about this chapter and it would be helpful to have some A) constructive ((Nice!)) criticism and B) Positivity! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Bridgettalladega: *wipes head* I am forcing myself to keep writing! When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and I am NOT a WIMP!**

**Best friend: Ya!**

**Bridgettalladega: *Shudders* That still creeps me out. Anyway, please enjoy!!**

"Miss? Miss? Are you alright?" Groggily, I nodded my head, pushing the money towards him before slipping out of the car. The ride had taken longer than I had thought, and as I stumbled towards the building, I knew I couldn't avoid my payment for much longer, if any longer at all.

When I had suffered my payment before, just like he had done for his sister, Hei had become my protector, or so I assumed. Whenever I woke up, he'd always be looking over me, and even when both his sister and I were suffering payments, he'd look after both of us at the same time. Usually though, I'd wake before Pai did, and after a mumbled greeting, I'd help him look after his weary sister.

After getting my room key from the front office, which, of course, had been a hassle, I practically had to drag myself into my room, where I proceed to drop onto the floor and sleep.

I can't say that when I had my payment, it was like a normal rest. Moreover, it was like being in a strange half-world between awake and asleep. I could sense things happening, but I couldn't do anything about them because the dark felt so comfortable, so shielded and protected, but, at the same time, eerie and lonesome. In South America, when I couldn't see Hei, my price had been a single comfort to me, no matter how strange it was.

The thing that ended up pulling me out of my contract was my cell phone. Buzzing against my side, I quickly took it out, pressing it to my ear as I propped myself up, rubbing my head, my fingers brushing over the familiar scar.

"Hello?" My voice still sounded loose, almost drunk.

"Mai! Where are you! There's a meeting downstairs and the head called wondering why my company didn't send a rep! I'm not paying you to loaf; goodbye!" So that must have been why there was knocking at my door before. As quickly as I could, I staggered across the room, throwing on fresh clothes, and dashed out of the room.

As soon as I threw open the door to the conference room many minutes later- I had gotten lost and had to ask for directions- all eyes swiveled towards me. Especially, all male eyes. I took the only open seat next to a man with light green eyes and blonde hair much like my own.

"Hey….I'm Mai. What did I miss?" I shimmed closer to him, and he smiled at me.

"Not much; it's pretty boring here. I'm Tomas; nice to meet you Mai." His name didn't matter.

"So…what company are you here for?" I batted my eyelashes, cooing.

"Oh, I work for Topicbridge. You?" I smiled; perfect. That was a company we could use support from, especially now.

"I work for Luna Manufacturing." He nodded.

"You know…the meeting just got a little bit more interesting." I smiled. If Hei would see me now, mooching up to the higher-ups, what would he say?

* * *

"It seems like the Holy Regency has more members than we thought- it also has more influence than the Syndicate knows about." I reported, sitting once again in my familiar spot. Yin stared at me, before tilting her head towards the ground. Huang paced in front of me, trying to think of the next step, because, recently, the Syndicate had been slipping.

"And you say you killed her? Good; one less contractor polluting." I bit my lip to keep from speaking. The thought, nestled deep down, would bring only more confusion to the situation.

But Ayaka's picture kept popping into my mind. Her eyes, more specifically; they had been the same color as Mai's. I hadn't been able to tell this from the picture Huang and the Syndicate supplied me- they never seemed to give enough information, always holding back- but when I saw them, it felt like I wasn't only betraying her, but Mai too.

I knew I had to stop these thoughts- they weren't rational, and they were all in the past, but somehow they kept resurfacing today, the littlest things triggering them.

"Hei? Pay attention or your ass is going to get kicked!" Huang bellowed, once again being the tether between my thoughts and the real world.

"Sorry." I mumbled, not really sure of what else to say.

"Well, your orders haven't come in from the Syndicate yet, so I guess there's noting else to do…" I nodded, before standing and walking away wordlessly, probably leaving a confused group behind me.

I knew that getting back in the game would be hard, but at least for now, my mind was clear and I had plans of my own to invade the Holy Regency. This would be my way; I knocked on Headquarters' door, and signed myself to the group.

My thinking was that if I could get close to the members of the group, I could infiltrate their systems, the way I had done before. This time, it would go over more smoothly though, because now I knew what to do and what not to attempt.

"So, Li, I hear you're a new member." A man with a deep throaty voice questioned. I nodded.

"Yes." He furrowed his brows, staring at me.

"Why did you join?" Because I want to shut you down; obviously, if those words escaped my lips…

"This group seems to have sparked interest." He nodded.

"I'm going to be watching you…" He stated, before swiftly turning on his foot and walking away. Yes you are; and I'll be doing the same to you.

When I informed Huang of my access though, he seemed less than pleased.

"Did you talk to the Syndicate about this before you joined?" I shook my head, folding my arms across my chest, my action showing that I wasn't budging.

"No; they would've told me to do that anyway. Did they say anything?" Huang shook his head.

"Not much; but, apparently, they know about your plan and are supporting it…" I began to walk away, before Huang called out my name.

"What?" I questioned, turning around once again to face him.

"I don't ask this a lot, so you better be honest; are you okay?" Truthfully, I was surprised. But, still, he didn't need to know about my problems; I worked for him, and that was it.

"Yes."

**Bridgettalladega: I felt like adding a tender moment in there somewhere. I'm trying to stop with the whole, "this reminded me of him/her" stuff now, but I can't promise much (except that I will finish this, darn it!)...anyway, thanks for the reviews (quite helpful!) and...ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Bridgettalladega: Ah! Prevalance pays off! I love this chapter; I think it's sweet, and cute (well, at least the ending...but I won't say any more and you can decide for yourself and REVIEW)**

After the meeting, Tomas invited me out to go get some lunch and discuss potential business deals. I had accepted, and was now on my way to go and eat with him.

He was really a nice guy- funny, smart, very business savvy- but not someone that I could see having a real future with. After all, I was only here to mooch on people- not to get close to them.

It was strange to think that while I was part of one corporation, in another way, I technically belonged to two. The Syndicate hadn't contacted me in a while; and you would think, that while I was one of their top members that they would- but at any moment, they could come and decide that I needed to kill, or that I needed to be taken out of the picture. While I knew that the second option would be a very rare case, who knew what they would decide to do if I ever dared to disobey them?

"Mai? Are you okay? You look pensive." I unfurrowed my brow and smiled, nodding.

"Of course I'm fine; silly." I tapped his nose gently. He kissed my hand, before setting it down. He obviously thought he was being a gentleman, but his kiss was sloppy and wet and I found myself reminiscing of an old dog I once had.

"That's good, but you haven't once touched your meal. Isn't it good?" He honestly looked worried, and I shrugged.

"It's just that I ate before I got here."

"Mind if I eat it then?" I laughed in spite of myself. There was once a time… I stopped myself. It's the present, that's the past. It was time to move on.

"Sure. Go ahead." He smiled at me, stopping with the fork halfway to his mouth.

"You're very pretty when you laugh." I blushed lightly, nodding.

"Thank you." Though some of these feeling were exaggerated, I was pleased that someone appreciated my boisterous laugh. It was a pit-fall of mine; I was so loud, too loud half of the time. It was a trait I had recently developed; possibly due to the fact that I was afraid of getting lost in the crowd.

We finished our lunch- or, Tomas finished our lunch- and we headed out into the warm sunshine. It was an uncommonly warm September day, and slowly, I unbuttoned the top button of my shirt, making sure my dining partner caught this action.

"So, what were we saying in the restaurant?" I trilled, taking his hand.

"Well, I think we were talking about that cute laugh of yours…"

"No, before that. About your company?" Push the message, push the message.

"Ah yes. Well, I think we both know that Luna Manufacturing could benefit from a relationship with Topicbridge…"

"Are you implying us?" I twirled in front of him, kissing his lips lightly. Bleck; he tasted like steak sauce…

"No, well, I mean…" I blushed again; it was a talent of mine.

"Sorry, please continue." He laughed.

"So, anyway, I do think your company is a good candidate for this program…" My eyes caught something off in the corner alley. I watched as a man, in a black jacket, with a mask fought another man; this one tall, with auburn hair and pale green eyes. The man in the mask looked like he was suffocating; he fell to the ground, his mask rolling to his side. Through the pain on his face, I remembered the little things; the river, the laughs, the hugs, the kiss…

"HEI!" I screamed, darting away from the guy from the business whose name I didn't even care to remember.

* * *

I must be dying, because a girl who looked exactly like Mai was running towards me. The vision crouched beside me, kissing my forehead, tears in her eyes, before standing up and facing the other contractor.

I watched as the girl who was a dream eyes turned red, and soon, the man who had been suffocating me was suffocating himself. Well, if it was Mai, then he really wouldn't have been suffocating; more like drying out, all the liquid in his body draining from him.

Both the contractor and the dream fell to the ground; one dead, one swaying back and forth. The dream turned to look at me. Then, suddenly, I realized that this wasn't a dream; this was real life and since it was real life that must mean that Mai…

"MAI!" I screamed, jumping up and rushing to her side. She laughed, falling back onto me.

"I've missed…" She blinked once, twice, before falling limp. How many times had I dreamt about the day she'd say that to me again? But, how many times had I dreamed that she would finish the sentence?

Wasn't it funny how today, on all the days that I had thought about her, and now she was here? Wasn't it funny how on the first day I saw her again she had possibly saved me? I left her there for only a split second, while I approached the man.

His death was swift, painless I liked to believe. I walked over to Mai and scooped her in my arms, marveling at how much she had grown. Her face though showed the most growth- she looked older, like she had gone through more. As she curled up against my chest, I could see the scar underneath her hairline, and it filled me with rage. Was that were they had tried to kill her?

I walked to my apartment, carrying her inside and gently laying her on the floor. I brushed her hair off her face, and covered her with my jacket. So many memories lay within her, ones I had forgotten and ones that would never be discussed.

I didn't know what to do now- I couldn't watch her sleep, because that would be eerie and stalker-like, and I didn't want her opinion of me to be diminished. I couldn't leave her- again, I didn't want her to wake up in a strange apartment, because that would also be too strange.

My stomach rumbled, giving me the answer. I would cook and wait patiently until she woke up.

**Bridgettalladega: So? How nice? Hmm hmm hmm? I am now figuring out where I want to go with this (Note to self: Do that FIRST). So, review and maybe give me some pointers? PS: Just saw the new DTB epsiode; I almost had a heart attack! It was awesome!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! Next chapter is up! I think...well, let's just say I'm not going to completely follow the story line (I.E. Hei's going to find out the Syndicate's motivies another way...though I heart HeixAmber.) Anyway, enjoy!!!!**

"Ow…" I groaned, sitting up. It took me a minute, but when my vision came around, I found myself to be staring at a bare apartment. Once my nose kicked in though, I had a feeling I knew who I was with.

I flipped onto my stomach, looking around. On the counter, multiple plates of food were piled up, and Hei was still in the process of making more.

I couldn't get over the fact that the one place I didn't want to be was the place where Hei was. And now that we were together, what did we do? How did we act around each other? Did he still feel the same about me as in South America?

I stood up, walking over to him slowly, before standing at his side, staring down as his hands nimbly stirred and concocted a delicious smelling meal.

"Hei…" I whispered, unsure of anything now. Then it all became clear as soon as I saw tears well in his eyes.

"Mai…" I threw my arms around his shoulders, our mouths pressing against each other, my legs finding their way around his waist, his hands cradling the back of my head gently. We were here; we were together…so why did this still feel so wrong?

"Where's…Pai?" I questioned. I felt his fingers drop from my hair, his arms falling to his side. I slumped down too, my feet touching the woodened ground.

"She…I don't know. When the Gate disappeared, so did she." I held onto him tight, remembering the night that I woke up to find Pai's star still shining.

"She has to be alive though. Her star's still there." He bowed his head down.

"My star, you mean, is still there." My jaw dropped open.

"You're…you're now a…"

"Yes." I felt tears slid down my face, a sob escaping my mouth. All this time, all this time he had been between; a human playing a contractor, and now, he had turned into what he secretly despised? The thought was unbearable; Hei, a human being, turning into one of us?

"Since…when?" My voice was ragged, but I tried to calm down as he pulled me into his arms, the safe haven I had missed so badly that now felt so flawed.

"The Gate's disappearance." I nodded, steadying out my breathing. He kissed my forehead, right on the scar.

"Is that where they hurt you?" I shook my head, looking up at him for the first time since learning, trying to see him through the same eyes I had.

"No…I had escaped, and when I came back…to find you…the Gate disappeared, and I…was injured." I stiffened, backing slowly out of his arms. "I really have to be getting back to the meeting. Tomas might be worried…"

"I had to…Mai, he was there when you killed that man…"

"You did not." I felt sick; not Tomas, who was such a sweet man? The other man I was okay with dying, but Tomas? Who had done nothing to him or me?

"Mai, you understand that I had to…" I felt hurt once again- of course that was the rational choice, the answer that made the most sense…

"Did it hurt?" I questioned, knowing that he would get my meaning. Did it hurt him to see Tomas die?

"I didn't know him…" I looked at him, running my fingers the length of his face. He pulled me back into his arms, though he couldn't bear letting me go.

"You've changed." I whispered into his chest, my heart now filling with agony.

* * *

The look in Mai's eyes was so filled with pity, with sorrow, that I felt myself sinking.

"So have you; but one of us has changed for the better…" On her tip-toes, her eyes barely met my nose.

"I've missed you something terrible Hei." Her voice warbled, and I pulled her closer against me, as though I could squeeze the horrible memories of confusion and despair from her. She had seen too much; she was younger than me, about Pai's age, and already, she had seen too much.

"Oh Mai." I whispered.

"Hei…I…I'm sorry."

"Don't be; if you feel differently about me now, then please, go. I don't want you to be unhappy." She looked at me, almost a little bit puzzled. She took my hand, resting it one her face, which seemed to be a little bit warm.

"No, I'm not unhappy around you Hei. I'm sorry that you turned into a contractor, because I know…I can tell you still feel things, like I do." I looked out the window.

"Yes, I do." She sighed.

"So now what?" I looked down at her, and my stomach rumbled once again. Her laugh, so loud and clear, brought a wide smile to my face.

"I guess, we eat." I took her hand, and helped her sit down on the floor.

"Used to the South American style?" She teased lightly, and I gave a soft hum. True, the area we had in South America was bland, bare, and broken-down, and if you compared my apartment now to it, the apartment would look like a palace.

"I assume; go ahead, eat." I placed the plates in front of her, and she shook her head.

"I…I haven't felt much like eating lately." She explained, staring out the window.

"Why?" I questioned, swallowing. She sighed as I pushed the two already empty bowls aside.

"Because, I don't know…I'm just…not in the mood to eat." She stated coolly. I looked at her, concerned.

"What's wrong?" She looked down at the floorboards.

"Do you belong to the Syndicate?" I nodded.

"Yes, why?"

"No reason. Just…wondering."

"Do you?" She nodded slowly; that was where the problem was.

"Yes I do." Her voice was cool, detached.

"Is there a problem with the Syndicate?" She shook her head, smiling slightly.

"No, I just haven't heard from them in a long while." I nodded.

"I'm sure you could come to meet my team…later, if you feel up to it." She nodded, back to staring out the window.

"I'd love to." I finished eating, and carried the plates to the sink, before sitting behind Mai, wrapping my legs around her tiny frame, and pulling her into my arms.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She sighed, nestling her nose against my torso.

"I'm fine…you've always worried too much." I smiled, watching as below on the street, life went on, while up here, I wished life could just hold this moment forever.

**Best Friend: Bridgettalladega isn't here at the moment, but if she was, I'm sure she'd say "please review because I love to know how you're feeling about the story!"**

**Bridgettalladega: Oh! Sorry, I'm back! Anyway, uh...please review because I love to know how you're feeling about the story!**

**Best Friend: *smug* See? I told you. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Bridgettalladega: So, I was on Youtube today, and I saw that there weren't a lot of DtB videos. *sighs* I wish there were more. Anyway, this is the next chapter in my story. I'm thinking of writing another Darker than Black story soon, but I don't know what I should do it on....any suggestion will be considered and appreciated.**

**Best Friend: Yup! Uh...Enjoy!**

Since I had woken up, Hei seemed anxious about something. Every minute more we spent together, he seemed to be tense, on edge. Finally, I could take it no longer; true to my previous fashion, I shoved him to the ground, pinning him their.

"What's the matter? You're so tense Hei." I stated coolly. He looked up at me, sighing, before tilting his head back.

"You're back to your old self, I see. I'm just…I don't know if you should go to the Syndicate meeting today." I had always been able to pry information out of Hei this way, and it confused me- he and I both knew he could push me off of him, and we both knew that he could kill me easily. Still, he always answered the question when I had him like that. I smiled, rolling off of him and sliding next on the ground.

"Why? What are you worried about?" I felt his arms wrap around my waist, and I relaxed.

"Nothing; I just…I don't know how the Syndicate, or anyone else, for that matter, is going to respond…I'm on a job right now…" I rolled towards him, my eyes locking with his.

"You shouldn't have told me that; now, I'm definitely going." He sat up, running his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, a black cat appeared at the window.

"Hei, you're…" He stopped mid-sentence, seeing my shocked expression. Hei groaned quietly.

"Mao, I'll be there in a few minutes." The cat nodded, before jumping away. I turned to look at Hei.

"Talking? Cat?" Not forming complete sentences. He nodded, running his fingers through his hair.

"I guess you have no choice but to come now; Mao will have probably already told Huang and Yin about you." He stood up, extending his hand. I gripped it tightly, staring intently at him. He seemed older, in a way that hurt my heart to see.

"Hei…" I wanted to ask him if he liked this life he had chosen for himself, the life that had chosen him.

"Yes Mai?" I shook my head, as he gathered up his gear. A black jacket, a new mask, and a familiar two-pronged knife. I smiled.

"Still your weapon of choice?" He nodded, tucking the knife into his jacket, before tucking his jacket under his arm.

"Since I have my contract…I don't need to kill people as harshly as I did before. Mai…by the way, I finally decided to keep my identity hidden- I'm _Li Shengshun_." I nodded; harshly was shocking them. Harshly was using your contract. But, wasn't I guilty of the same thing? And a hidden identity…I guess that was good, because he'd be hunted any other way.

"Good." I walked out the door with him, afraid of what I would find when I saw Hei's Syndicate group.

We walked down the street, and I couldn't help but sense how normal this was for him. How well he blended into the crowd, how well he acted like everyone else- a happy, go lucky guy.

"Wow Li; you seem cheerful." He smiled at me.

"Of course, now that I'm with you." I nudged him, laughing. We rounded the corner to expose a park.

"Ready?" He questioned. I nodded, gritting my jaw.

* * *

"Hei, who the hell is this!?" Huang bellowed as soon as Mai appeared at my side. I strode up towards him, before Mao stopped me.

"Huang, for once, could you just shut up?" Mao questioned. I saw Mai blush, still taking in everyone.

"This is Mai; we were partners in South America…" Yin nodded respectfully, and Mao circled my legs.

"Are you sure you were just partners?" Mai nodded slowly.

"What else would we have been?" Her tone, flat, expressionless…she was imitating a real contractor.

"Mai…this is Yin." I pointed towards Yin, who was resting against the single tree in the park, her hand in a puddle that had recently formed.

"Huang." I nodded towards Huang, whose eyes were trained on Mai as though he expected her to betray us at any second.

"Mao." Mao nestled next to her legs. An awkward silence fell over everyone, until Huang piped in his two-bit.

"How do we know you two are telling the truth?"

"We're contractors; would it be beneficial to us to do otherwise?" She stated coolly, sitting next to Yin.

"You are certainly calm about this Mai." Huang pointed out. I sat across from her and Yin, waiting to see her response.

"Why wouldn't I be; I know Hei, I work for the Syndicate too…in fact, I'm working with your team now." Huang's eyes widened, as mine certainly did.

"I didn't hear this from the high-ups."

"Maybe they don't tell you as much as you think they would. Either way, I know that Hei is currently on a job, and I suppose that I should be a back-up, don't you think?"

"I don't know; do you think you'd be an effective back-up?" I was sitting here, and I knew that I should add something, but it was almost amusing to watch Mai collect herself, be the way I hadn't seen her be in a long time. Yin and Mao were watching her intently; I always knew she could put on a show whenever she needed to.

"Yes; I think I would be."

"Can you prove it?" He shouldn't have provoked this side of Mai. She stood up, and before I could stop her, she had Huang pinned to the ground, her hand poised over his forehead.

"Unless you want to know my contract, you'll agree to allow me to be a back-up."

"Damn ass contractors…fine." I felt a knot in my stomach as Mai stood up, dusting off her hands.

"So? What's the plan?" She leaned against the tree, tilting her head back.

"Currently were involved in a plan to stop a group called the Holy Regency…" I watched as Mai lips curled into a small smile.

"Let me guess; you've already invaded their head station and having taken out the lower work and getting information, you're moving your way up to the head." She smirked, satisfied she knew the answer.

"Yes…"

"Bad move; not the getting the information part, but the killing the lower worker. They'll get suspicious, start examining everyone. Should've joined, gotten close, got information, and struck the head before they even suspected anything." So she knew some things about infiltration.

"Syndicate's orders to take out the lower worker."

"Ever feel that the Syndicate lies?" She looked at me. "It was your idea to gain access to their group, wasn't it?" I nodded.

"Yes."

"Good plan. What does the Syndicate tell you we should do next?" Huang looked at a piece of paper in his hands.

"They tell us…to lay low." Mai smirked again; she had known.

**Bridgettalladega: I don't know why, but I always end of writing Hei very very Out Of Character. Anyway, I like to think of Mai this way (Also, I just remembered there was another character earlier on in the show named Mai....I'm not talking about her.) So, yes, review and...well, the top explained what else to do :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bridgettalladega: Hey, it's me :) I'm back....though, I have to admit, I'm not feeling so great about writing anymore, this story....so, I mean, if you want me to continue this story, please review and you know, say so :) I'd appreciate it very much :)**

**Best Friend: Continue! **

**Bridgettalladega: Oh, you only like these stories because you get to talk. Anyway, enjoy! **

I knew that the little show I had put on back there was how I truly should be acting, but it was almost laughable how wrong it felt to be so…poised.

I was glad though that I could now at least be Hei's back-up; I didn't think he would need me, and probably I would end up needing him, but at least it felt like old times.

The next morning, after a somewhat sleepless night- I had gone back to the conference to pack up my stuff, before coming back to Hei's apartment- I walked into the center of the Holy Regency and looked around. Everything appeared to be normal, cheerful even, and while I didn't want my opinion of things to be based off the Syndicate, I felt something sinister was wrong with the picture, something, in my own opinion, that felt cruel and sicken.

I walked up to the desk that was located in the office building, and casually leaned forward.

"Excuse me…but I need to talk to the person in charge of this organization. I am extremely interested in this…opportunity." I smirked a tiny bit, and the receptionist nodded.

"I'll see if I can fit you in." Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a woman that looked to be in her late fifties, with her dark brown hair pulled tightly into a bun, and electric green eyes.

"Kuniko, I think that we can fit her in now…" I was puzzled at first; she had to be the head, but how had she heard me? Then I realized; a company like this would have cameras everywhere, to guard and protect the identity of what they really were.

"Thank you." I stood, brushing past the woman, before entering a dimly lit room. I sat on the chair positioned across from the desk, and gave a half-smile as she sat down.

"So, I hear from Kuniko that you are interested in…opportunities that you would find here?" I nodded slowly, trying to keep up my composure.

"Yes; apparently, there are certain…idealistic, in this corporation that I find quite appealing."

"Hmm….idealistic. What a good way to think about it. What is your name?"

"Mai Chénliu." Why lie? If they were as good as Hei informed me they were, then they'd look up my true identity soon enough.

"I see you have done your research Mai; what is your contract?" I gave a half-smirk again.

"Do you really think I'd reveal it so easily?" She looked amused.

"We are the superior breed, aren't we? There's no reason to be ashamed of it." Her eyes, so cold, so distant….

"I think not. I am able to control water." I spoke as though I was proud of this when I was truly anything but.

"I see no reason not to trust you….assuming you are a contractor, after all."

"Would a lowly person be able to act as such?" The woman shook her head.

"Ah, so you do feel as we do." She leaned in towards me. "You seem like you'd be a key part in our work. Tell me; how did you hear about us?"

"How do you assume contractors like myself hear about you?" Do not bring up Hei; do not bring up the Syndicate…

"Good response; I would like you to hand this to Kuniko, and she will show you what to do from there. I am glad you decided to join us, Ms. Chénliu." I bowed my head.

"The pleasure is all mine." I walked slowly out the door, still keeping my composure, in case she was still watching through the cameras. I handed Kuniko the paper, as she discreetly slid me another one, and I walked out the door.

* * *

I waited patiently for Mai to come out of the building. If she didn't make it in, if she got caught, if she needed me…these thoughts soon subsided as she pushed open the door, and walked right past me, bowing her head. I followed shortly afterwards, until she stopped, sighing heavily, before handing me the piece of paper she had gotten.

"Mai Chénliu, you are requested to come back for the next meeting, on the 4th of next month, to be initiated…" I smiled at her, as she gave a tiny half smile in response.

"We're in." I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but she straightened herself up before I could do so.

"Mai…are you okay?"

"Remember this one tip Hei: I'm sure you know already, but cameras." She discreetly whispered, before rubbing at her temples. "Ugh…pretending is only fake for so long."

"What?"

"I pretend to be a contractor, an emotionless being, but then…there are these times, afterwards, where it feels like I'm not even pretending."

"You are; I know you." She smiled.

"I hope so…so, what do we do now?" I looked around, before my eyes set on a familiar sight that, until recently, had no meaning to me.

"I remember you singing…do you think, you'd sing for others?" Her eyes widened as she followed my gaze, towards the small shop down the street with the sign advertising recordings.

"Hei…no." She laughed, shaking her head. "No way, uh uh, nope." I smiled at her, feeling relieved.

"That got you back to your old self, didn't it?" She kissed my lips softly, before nodding.

"Thank you Hei. But, I have an idea of something that really would put me back to my old self…" She raised her eyebrows, suggesting something that seemed so wrong and so right at the same time.

"No…Mai…we…" She pressed her lips against mine.

"I haven't seen you in so long Hei…I miss you." She let her hands wrap around my back, drumming her fingers against the back of my neck.

"No Mai…no." Even as I said this, I felt myself slipping, my control loosing. I pulled away.

"Fine; then lets go home. You can take a cold shower, and I can sit on the bathroom floor watching you." My heart skipped a beat, and she laughed, walking ahead of me.

"Mai!" I bellowed, chasing her down.

At home, I started regretting turning her down before. It had been so long…and now that she was here…and so perfect…

"What are you thinking about?" She questioned. I looked out the window, at the slightly starry sky.

"Nothing…" She moved closer to me, her feet brushing against my leg. I continued peering out the window.

"There's obviously something or you'd be looking at me, not through me." I turned my head so that I looked at her, focusing on a spot between her eyes, not looking into the blue irises, or staring at her wide, black pupils.

"See?"

"Still looking through me." I closed the gap of space between me and her, kissing her and letting my hands travel across her skin with reckless abandon.

We moved from that space to a more secluded, if possible, area, and she laughed softly, the sound quivering off my lips.

"I….knew…you…liked…the idea."

A while later, as I laid next to her, our warm bodies covered by a warm blanket, I stared out the window. It wasn't reasonable to think that this action could make the stars feel anymore inviting, any more comforting, but as I stared at them more intently, all I could see was their light shining off the skin on her body, the way the light coursed through her hair, making each touch seem magical…it was unreasonable, but it was how I felt.

**Bridgettalladega: I thought it was a very cute thing for them to....you know, _you know._ Anyway, please review :) Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! I'm back, well...kind of. I've got a lot of things to do this week, so my updating schedule will be a little bit irratic. This is kind of one of those suspenseful/making-you-want-to-read-more chapters. I don't even think it qualifies as a chapter really....**

**Best Friend: More like a...a...lead-on!**

**Bridgettalladega: Mmm....something like that. Anyway, whatever it is, I hope you enjoy it!**

"DAMN IT!" I screamed, waking up a sleeping Hei besides me.

"What?" He looked concerned, glancing around the room before looking at me. Quickly, I scrambled around, gathering my clothes and throwing them on haphazardly.

Yesterday, I left the organization with the funny feeling that there was something that I was forgetting to do. As soon though, as I got here to Hei's apartment, I couldn't remember it- heck, I couldn't even remember my own name. But now I knew what was nagging me, and I felt like slapping myself multiple times for forgetting.

"Yesterday, when it was decided that I was to be initiated? Wasn't the lady that I was talking to the head of the group!? She had to be, didn't she?! I should've killed her then, when I had the chance! Damn it all!" I slammed my fist against the ground, before I felt Hei's hand lightly touch my back.

"You and I both know why you couldn't do that."

"No Hei, I have no idea why I am so frigging stupid!" I covered my face with my hands.

"Do you even remember what you told me yesterday? About the cameras? If you had killed her, you would've been caught on tape. Everyone would've known and you would've died in about two minutes." I glared at him.

"Are you telling me I'm a weak contractor?" He shook his head, a soft laugh escaping his mouth.

"No, but do you think you could've handled all twenty contractors attacking you then?" I sighed, glancing at the floor.

"I handled those seventeen in South America…"

"But that wasn't all at once; and you see how that turned out, what stress it put on your body afterwards." I smiled at him, standing and stretching.

"You've got all the answers, don't you?" He returned my grin, before flopping back on the floor, his muscle shining in the light thrown by the window across the room.

This whole experience felt surreal; I felt like I was back in time, catching a glimpse of something that already happened, feeling like in a few minutes, something would drag me out of my memories and push me back into the real world, where I was and Hei wasn't, where I belonged to two groups, one which I worked at and the other which worked me, where I wasn't helping the Syndicate, rather trying to stay under their radar instead of flashing brightly in the center of it. Where I hadn't used my contract again; where I hoped to never be called a contractor, ever again.

Glancing back at a sleeping Hei on the floor made me hope that if this truly was a dream, I'd stay in it for at least a little while longer.

So now what we had to do was wait; plan, and wait. Hei had already been accepted into the society, so his information intake was more than mine, giving me the advantage that he didn't have. And soon, even the waiting was over as the fourth approached quicker than Hei or I could've imagined.

**Bridgettalladega: So yup, this kind of answered the question of "Hey, she had her chance- why didn't she kill the lady?" I'm saving stuff like that for later chapters...later lead-ons...later whatevers. Anyway, I might not update for a while, so any reviews would certainly help (maybe make me make more time for this?) Anyway, hope you enjoyed! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Bridgettalladega: Another filler-ish chapter, but I felt bad for not updating in...*gasp* three days! Hahaha, just kidding. But, this was a bit tricky to write, but you know, I think I did...hmm....okay! Well, you can be the judge! Enjoy!**

"So today, you just go in and do whatever they tell you to do. That's it; that's the orders from the higher-ups today." Mai squirmed angrily in her spot, as she always did when the Syndicate was brought up.

"So that's the best the can do, huh? Send me into a previously un-manned territory and pray for the best?"

"I went in, you know." I pointed out. She turned her head sharply towards me.

"You're Bk201- what did they have to worry about with you? I'm SS268; has anyone even ever feared my messier code? I didn't think so."

"So you're saying you can't handle yourself?" I had heard reverse psychology worked on some people, most people, so she probably fit into that category.

"No; I can handle myself. I'm just saying that the Syndicate is a messed-up group." Huang's eyes widened, as did Mao's.

"Don't say that! You…they….you work for them. If they don't have full trust in you, you could get cut." She smiled sadly.

"I could." Brushing off her pants, she stood.

"Well, I guess I better get going." She glanced at me. "Hei? Could you be back-up?" I nodded.

"Sure. Remember what I told you; it's going to be…awkward." She took in a deep breath, understanding a meaning I didn't wish to divulge.

"Okay." We walked down the street, her lost in thought, me, lost in thoughts of how to protect her if something went wrong.

"We're here." Actually, we were a block and a half away, but this was where we could at least be sure cameras couldn't see us. She kissed my lips softly, before lowering herself down to her original height.

"I'll be out soon…" She began her walk down the block. And all I had to do now was waiting; listen to commands given to me through my earpiece, listen for her cries of help, wait to see if I had to go and rescue her, wait to have her back safe with me.

A half an hour passed. One hour. An hour and a half. Two hours. I tried to remember if it had taken me this long to be initiated, as I hid in the shadows and waited still.

It was verging on three hours when I saw her figure stumbling down the street towards me. I waited until she had passed me, to grab at her arm. She collapsed against my chest and placed her head on my collarbone, breathing in deeply.

"They made me….relive, everything. Every bit of it." She gasped, wrapping her arms around me.

"Did they recognize me?" I asked. She looked up, taking a shaky breath in.

"You don't have to remember…things that they deem unimportant. They saw me in South America, but they never saw who I worked with. They tried to dig past that memory, but it seems as though…that's the thing my life revolves around, and that's the only memory strong enough to be transmitted."

"So they don't know you work for the Syndicate?" She shook her head.

"What about you?"

"I showed them memories of Li's life- not mine." I felt tears dampen my shirt.

"They made me remember…they told me what a great killer I was…"

* * *

This was how they brought me into the society; instead of memory loss, they had dug deep into my mind, pulling what they could to use against me.

"Did Li….does Li have a sister?" I questioned, trying to regain any ground I could.

"No. He has no family; he's an orphan." I held him closer, as though I was trying to press us together permanently.

"You did that…to protect her." He nodded, pulling away and running his fingers through his hair.

"And you. Let's get home; it's getting dark."

"How long was I in there?"

"Three hours." I staggered away from him.

"Too long." I stumbled off the sidewalk, and into the street, but not before tripping on the curb.

"Are you okay?"

"Remember how you felt after that? I don't have the memories of another person's life to fall back on…all I have is mine, and they were raw and….and…"

"And what?" He sat next to me, and I buried my face in my hands.

"Horrible. Scary. Frightening. Something I had never wished to relive…" He nodded slowly, before lifting me to my feet, and bending down so I could jump on his back. My legs fit securely around his waist as I leaned on him, comfortable.

"Let's go home." He carried me down the long stretch of road, and I smiled.

"Who's taking me home? Li?"

"No. Hei." I wrapped my arms around his neck tighter, giving a light squeeze before returning to normal.

"I love Hei…does he know that?" I admitted sheepishly. Hei said nothing until we reached his apartment, where he finally set me down outside the door.

"He knows….because he loves you too." I kissed him again, as he held open the door.

"After you." I felt safe, walking through the doors, to a home I had never dreamed would be mine.

**Bridgettalladega: So? Hmm? Hmm? Review please!!! I want feedback! Positive/Negative...but no flames!**

**Best Friend: As mentioned somewhere before, she can't take flames...*weakling***

**Bridgettalladega: Oh God, someone's nice-streak is over. Anywho's...yeah! You know what to do! Bye for now!! Tootles! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Bridgettalladega: Do you know how hard it was to come up with a motive for this group!? UGH! Well, I guess I can't say it was really that bad; I did have ideas....so, anyway, this is my finished product. I should probably be done updating for this year; or not, who can say? I hope to finish this story by...March? Wow, that seems like a long time! Anyway, why should I be worrying you with these problems? Enjoy!!!!**

So we had both been inducted, and now we just had to figure out how to stop this group, and stop…whatever it was that they were doing. We still had so much to figure out; so many motives we had to crack, but I was working with my old partner, and I was the infamous Black Reaper- it wouldn't take long.

One morning, we both had to go in for a group meeting. I had a feeling that today, we'd finally get some information. And I had a feeling that it would be me to get it.

How true that was.

We went in, as though we didn't know each other, as we always did. This was part of the plan; we couldn't act like we lived with each other or that we even bothered to talk outside of this group, or suspicions would rise, and our whole plan could bust.

"Li, I want to talk to you." One of the higher up called me over, and without so much as a glance in Mai's direction, I followed obediently.

"Yes?"

"It seems like we are to bring you into the main office today."

"Why would you do that?" I questioned, bored. I had seen the main office so many times now that it was almost routine to go there. There, I had always talked to the higher-ups, never the head.

"The leader would like to speak with you." Now it got a little bit more interesting.

"Okay."

"Follow us." It was then that I realized another man was standing behind us, as though they knew that I could easily take them down, and they needed back-up. I followed them inside to the office, where they stood by the door, blocking the exit, or guarding the person who came in.

It was the same woman who had inducted me that day; the contractor with the power to gain access to memories. I could see how she'd easily be the head; the one with the most manipulative power, after all…

"Li, today, I think would be a good day to show you around." She smiled as though she was sharing some type of secret. I nodded and rose after she began to leave.

"These two will be joining us; just in case, of course." Just agreeing with whatever she said seemed to make her happy, so again, I nodded and followed her down the long hallway I had always wondered about.

We got to the last door on the end, and she pushed it open.

"This, this is one of our special treatment rooms." My eyebrows narrowed slightly as I saw the doctor table, the restraints, and the medical equipment.

"What is this all for?"

"I know you understand how very superior we are to all the other humans walking around. I know that you understand how very different this makes us."

"Of course." No, and I hated thinking that way at all…

"Well, as you might guess, if we had more contractors in this world…well, I would think that it would be a better place. Wouldn't you agree; all that rational thinking, no problems that couldn't be solved…"

"Of course." I felt like I couldn't say anymore.

"We try and do that here. We study contractors, as you might guess; there atomic structure, and then…well, we study humans too."

"Very smart idea…but then what?" She smiled proudly, as though beaming over her life's project.

"We take regular, boring, average humans…and make them just like us. As you could guess, this process takes time and money…and of course, a lot a memory erasing, but it seems to be very profitable so far." Oh hell.

"I'm worried…will we still be superior if so many are like us?"

"Of course. We only take the best humans; owners of businesses, natural born leaders…sometimes, if we're lucky, we can take government officials." I almost felt weak. Wasn't this a form of torture?! Wasn't this....this had to be illegal! How many people had they gotten to already?!

"That is a great move."

"Naturally." She turned to me, a smile slightly curving her lips. "Li?"

"Yes?"

"We'd like you to help us."

**Bridgettalladega: Dum. Dum. DUM! (It never gets old :-D) Review please! ((Because they make me happy) **


	13. Chapter 13

**Bridgettalladega: *looks at last publishing date* **rubs eyes** NO WAY! Hello again! Sorry It's been so long- this story's kind of hard for me to write since....I'VE SEEN THE SEASON TWO ENDING!? THOUGHTS ON THAT?! **

**Best Friend: Bridgettalladega was...actually, kind of happy, but kind of confused too? (Not giving any spoilers away...) **

**Bridgettalladega: Anyway, I'm going to end this soon, but I had this really crazy idea that came to me while I was writing this...I hope you'll like it in the end (Has to do with Synidcate, last line...*hint hint*!) but, it's not the end yet, so enjoy this now!**

"So, that's what those bastards had in mind, huh? Taking innocent people…and turning them into us." I spat out the 'us' part as though it disgusted me, like the taste of the word in my mouth was too much to bear.

"That's right; we're going to have to plan a set up."

"And how would you propose we do that?" Hei paced around, as I gripped my head in my hands. Hei crouched next to me.

"Mai…are you okay?"

"No. Hei, they're turning innocent people into monsters…into unnatural beings. Into…into shells." I looked at him angrily.

I always felt passionately about contractors and humans, about one day contractors being able to feel, about them finally understanding emotions…I wanted to protect humans and make sure that they stayed safe, and now this plan was putting one of them at least, in immediate danger.

"We'll be able to stop them; don't worry." I nodded, staring out the window of my apartment. I knew Hei was trying to comfort me…but he didn't understand what even half of my problem was.

"How many jobs…like this, have you been on for the Syndicate?" I asked quietly, as I always did when I asked about the group. Trying to fake my way to uncaring, trying to act like I was nothing but loyal to the group that didn't give a damn about anyone's life, not even the ones they swore to protect…

"A few too many." Hei said, sliding behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned against him, my tongue feeling loose.

"A few too many…I wonder why the Syndicate wants us to do the dirty work, while they order us around like pawns in a chess game…" I felt my face turn a light red; Pai hadn't wanted her brother dragged into this, and if I kept talking, I'd reveal the secret bursting inside of me.

"What are you suggesting?" I pressed my lips against his, laughing softly.

"Oh nothing, just thinking…you know I always worried too much." I lied, trying to play off the slip of the tongue as nothing more than that.

"Mai…you know you can tell me anything, right?" My resolve almost broke right there. The words almost tumbled out of my mouth, spilling onto the floor, drowning us.

"I know." The only words I let escape, before I pulled out of his grasp.

"Mai…" He knew something was wrong; he wanted me to tell him. But I owed it to him not to tell him; not until we shut this group down. Not until this group was dead and gone.

"So who's the unlucky victim that gets to be a practice dummy?" I questioned bitterly, staring at him with tired eyes. Although I enjoyed every moment spent with Hei as him, being constantly reminded of the job that brought nightmares into my mind was quite exhausting.

"I don't know; Huang will tell us the next plan of action…"

"From the Syndicate." I felt like every time I said those words, he was getting closer to a truth we had all tried to keep hidden.

"If not, we'll take matters into our own hands." I smiled softly at him. He looked handsome in the light coming from the street…I wanted to kiss him and tell him everything that I had kept locked inside.

But instead, I nodded, and walked over to the newly-purchased mattress, lying my head down and waiting for the day to come when I felt Hei could handle the truth.

* * *

So, as Mai put it, the days came and went, and our plans grew. We got our bait; a young girl that could look innocent enough to go invade a corporation and still defended herself.

And Mai became very protective of the girl, as though she was her responsibility, her safety her number one goal instead of finishing off the group. I knew it was natural to feel some sort of responsibility for your bait, to care for their safety as much as your own…but something else was bugging Mai.

I could tell it had been bugging her since the day she had found me, and it was killing me; all I wanted to know was what was wrong with her….so I could fix it. But, there was no way to pull information out of her- she knew me too well and could spot my efforts from miles away.

Still, even though Mai still had things eating at her, she didn't show it when she was on the job. She could act cool, calm, collected, as though nothing about this seemed wrong in anyway, or in any fashion upset her. The day came for us to take down the organization, and still she kept her façade- I admired her for her strength more than I'd ever tell her.

"You understand that you will be acting as though I captured you, correct?" The young girl, Aimi, nodded.

"I do; the Syndicate hired me, didn't they? I had to be a professional…" Mai took a deep breath, relaxing herself even more.

"If you need either of us, remember that we're right there- try not to act calm and collected…act…normally." Aimi smiled.

"I know Mai- don't worry. I'll be fine." Aimi assured her, waiting as I put restraints around her wrist. The more authentic looking, the better.

"Stupid Syndicate shouldn't be risking lives…" Mai muttered as I tied the restraints around the Aimi's arms a bit tighter. She winced slightly as I slung her over my shoulder.

"Are we ready?" Aimi nodded, and Mai stood outside the door.

"Go do your thing Li." She smiled softly as I walked through the doors calmly, as though I did this everyday. I knew what a challenge I'd be facing fighting off the leader, but I was prepared.

I could handle this…or so I thought. That was before I knew that the group was expecting me; expecting this attack.

**Bridgettalladega: Review please! (I know...this story's not one of my best works...but I do like happy feedback! Not to say criticism isn't also appreciated!) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! I think this chapter...while I don't want to say cute, I can't really can't think of another word...if anyone wants to REVIEW *hint hint cough cough* with one, then by all means, be my guest! This story will be over shortly- but, if anyone wants like, something added to it (Like one of those extra chapters...like an OVA kind of) in there, please say so! **

**Best Friend: They are fun to write...especially if they're funny!**

**Bridgettalladega: Quite True! Oh, and I was rereading this story today....sorry for some of the spelling mistakes! I do blame myself, because I was looking on Microsoft Word (Which I don't own, like DARKER THAN BLACK) and THEN, after I publish the chapter, I see the little red lines! Frustrating, to say the least! Anyway, enough with my ramblings....enjoy!!!  
**

I stood outside, waiting for any information from Hei, any signal to tell me that he needed help. True, he was the Black Reaper, he was BK201, he was a contractor, but he still was Hei- at least to me. Though, he didn't seem worried at all- neither did Aimi…maybe they were more suited to be contractors than I was…

"Mai!" The speaker in my ear crackled to life, and I cringed. My ears had always been extremely sensitive, and even now they hurt whenever something was too loud.

"Yes?" I hissed, looking around, making sure no one noticed the crazy lady standing against the side of the building, talking to herself.

"It's a set-up! Get Hei….out…." Set-up? What was?

"Huang, I can't hear…"

"Get…Hei out! Set…Syndicate…working…them." All I focused on where those four words- Get Hei out, Syndicate.

I should've told Hei what I had known before; I should've warned him. But this seemed to be an organization that needed shutting down…an organization, that had set-up the Black Reaper and SS268.

I could only hope that I'd be able to do this alone; be able to save Hei.

* * *

It happened so fast, I had no idea what had gone on. I knew to watch my back; but I had never taken it as literally as I should have. The last thing I remembered was a sharp, stabbing pain between my shoulder blades, as everything began to swirl.

Now I was here, lying strapped to the examination table that I had seen only a while ago, staring up at the leader.

"The Syndicate warned us about you Hei." I stayed perfectly still, formulating a way out, trying to process this information at the same time.

"They wanted us to be the ones to take you down here. And what the Syndicate wants, they get." The leader spoke calmly, pulling the straps tighter across my body, pinning me to the table. There was still time to get out…there would've been more, if they hadn't been able to knock me out.

"Where's Aimi?" I questioned. She sighed.

"She knew too much…she was one person that could not be turned into a contractor."

"What did you do to her?" I uttered slowly.

"It wasn't what we did; it was what you set her up that had been done to her." I inhaled deeply, thinking of Mai's fallen face when I told her. When I escaped.

"Why does the Syndicate want you to make all these contractors?" The leader trailed her razor like nails across my throat.

"Mmm…should I tell you? That Mai girl certainly knew the Syndicate's motives…" Mai knew? Was that what had been annoying her? I had asked her; why did she think I wouldn't want to know about this?

"She never told." Might as well confess before I killed her.

"Ha; seemed like the type to tell you everything. Why wouldn't the Syndicate want a bigger group of contractors under their control?" So this was a set-up; so the Syndicate…was really as bad…as Mai had let slip that one day…

"So, you work for the Syndicate then?" The leader nodded.

"Of course I do; they wanted you out of the way BK201, because of that girl…they knew she knew of their motives, and they were going to kill her off before she told anyone. But, they thought you already knew…that's how we're here."

It was almost like a scene from a movie; the door, being kicked open, but instead of a male hero standing there, waiting to rescue a damsel in distress, it was reversed; a heroine, rescuing the man.

She wasted no time in starting her contract; but, as any leader should be, she was prepared for an attack like this. She let out a high pitched sounded that made me cringe and wish that my hands could cover my ears.

Mai's eyes stopped glowing, and she sunk to the floor, cringing and covering her ears with her hands. She wasn't going to be able to fight against this woman, who seemed merciless in killing both of us.

I didn't know how I could use my electric contract; I was lying on a metal table-if I used my power, the best I could do was shock myself, and they had most obviously taken my pronged knife off of me…

Then I realized that the woman was still grabbing onto one of the straps that was tying me down. The strap had a metal buckle to it, which one of her fingers was just barely resting upon…the best I could do was give her a mere static shock, but that would buy both of us time to think of some other form of attack…and a static shock to me wouldn't hurt much at all…

Though my ears were splitting, I could still tell that my eyes glowed a faint red color as I zapped the woman, and myself, in the process. She stopped her contract, turning towards me, giving Mai a chance to stand up, staggering towards the table with the needle they had planned to kill me with.

Mai took the needle in her hand, and started to approached the woman, who expected her attack once again. She opened her mouth to restart; but Mai lunged, jabbing the needle into her throat, tackling her to ground, making their heads hit the wall that cramped all of us in the tiny room.

Blood trickled down the woman's mouth, onto Mai's trembling hands. She turned to me, her eyes wide and wet with tears.

"I'm sorry Hei…I'm sorry…I should have told you what I knew…but Pai didn't want…you to worry…" She walked numbly over to me, undoing the straps that held me down. I sat up, and pulled her into my arms.

"It's okay Mai; it's okay." She rested her head against my shoulder, and when she pulled back, I saw a deep, red spot against the fabric of my white shirt. Her eyes widened as she reached up and touched the side of her head lightly, finding her hand covered in blood.

"Hei…"

**Bridgettalladega: Dum dum dum dum! Will update soon! PLEASE REVIEW IN MEANTIME!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Bridgettalladega: IT LIVES! Actually...it ends! Oh my! Sorry to make this so short...well, not short...kind of...anyway, I just thought this story needed an ending, and here it is! **

**Best Friend: Is this your last Darker Than BLACK Fanfiction!? Please say now...**

**Bridgettalladega: *looks over at Best Friend's cue card* **whispers** That's NO you idiot! *clears throat* Of course not! In fact...I might add a snippet of a new one I'm working on up! *bats eyelashes* IF SOMEONE ASKS ME TO!**

**Best Friends: Act! Act! Act!**

**Bridgettalladega: *Looks over cue card* THAT'S ASK! *false smile* Anyway...enjoy!!  
**

After my three-day stay in the local hospital, I was sent home with what they called "a major concussion". As if hearing a sound loud enough to make my ear drums bleed, then smacking my head into the wall was just a concussion.

They told me to rest, relax, take a break for a while and don't do anything strenuous.

When Evening Primrose came into town, the doctor's advice went right out of my injured head.

* * *

The doctor told Mai to take it easy; even I was watching her for a while, doing things for her and making sure that she stayed still as much as possible, to prevent further bleeding.

As soon as Amber's group showed up with plans to take down the Syndicate, Mai would neither listen to me, nor remember what the doctor specifically told her to do.

Nothing anyone said stopped her from joining EPR and fighting against the same group that she had been against since South America.

Nothing anyone said could stop her from getting injured the day that all hell broke loose; when she took on those contractors, I'm sure she still thought she was the young contractor that she had been in South America.

I knew she wasn't; even Yin and Mao knew she wasn't, after I had repeatedly mumbled the same thing over and over again.

I didn't want to lose Mai; after all, I lost Huang, then Mao's cat form, and finally, I saw everything I had lost.

The stars. All my friends, everyone that had once cared about me or that I had cared for, or had been part of my life in anyway. All there; Amber explained all I'd have to do is work with EPR's plan and I'd get these things back.

But I couldn't. There had to be a third road, a more peaceful one- that was the one I was choosing. I told Amber that as she kissed me; Mai didn't need to be told about that kiss…because she could guess what happened when I said goodbye to someone like Amber.

Only a day later, Yin and I were leaving in an effort to escape what remained of the Syndicate.

But, of course, being Mai- the person who had just injured herself even more fighting for what she believed in, didn't want to leave. Didn't want to run when the Syndicate wasn't gone completely.

* * *

"I won't go with you and Yin; you know how I feel." I crossed my arms indignantly across my chest. Hei stared at me with worried eyes from underneath his disguise.

"Please Mai…you can't stay here! You'll get killed!" I wanted to go with him…I wanted to be with him after so long, but how was it that I could just leave here?

"I can't Hei…" The train was starting up as the fake stars twinkled above, a lot less than a day ago, when EPR had fought to take down the Syndicate.

"Why not Mai?" He was begging me to; he didn't want to lose me as much as I didn't want to lose him.

"Because…because…"

"Come on Mai; please. You fought well…but we've done all we could. It's time to start over now. " His extended hand. This minute in time. Now or never. All I had wanted, all I was scared of, worried of, came down to this one moment in time, this one chance to say who I was, who I wanted to be.

Life never made many choices easy- I smiled softly- but this one- I extended my hand- seemed to be okay. His fingers wrapped around my own, dragging me up towards him, into the protection of his arms.

Maybe we'd be on the run, but did it matter? Whatever came next, whatever happened from now on, I knew that I had at least one person to face it with. No more secrets; no more lies.

Yin and I…the two girls in Hei's life that he loved the most…I smiled to myself- we'd be well protected, wherever we were.

**Bridgettalladega: I hated having to add Yin into the ending...not that I don't support that relationship...but this story's supposed to be between Hei and Mai....whatever, silly Yin having to be there**

**Best Friend: Don't call Yin silly!**

**Bridgettalladega: Fine. Sorry Yin! Review please and let me know A) how I did B) If you want that snippet C) That someone actually stuck with me through the whole story! Thanks! Bye!!  
**


	16. Snippet!

**Bridgettalladega: Well, here's that snippet!! This is kind of my favorite dialouge so far...I'll add the story if the snippet is well reviewed!**

_Inside, I was greeted by the scent of sweat and plastic._

_"Lovely."_

_"We're all working hard Umeko. Why don't you try it for a change?" My co-worker, a short, pudgy man whose name never stuck in my head, spat._

_"Not a chance. I hear stress causes wrinkles…maybe that's why you're so damn ugly." He rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room. The door was flung open again, this time by a face I was happy to see- my comrade in this place, Ai._

_"Well, I heard that lovely little conversation that went on between you and Daisuke."_

_"God, is that his name?!" She nudged me._

_"What? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?" I shook my head._

_"No, it's just that….This isn't work. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting." She smiled._

**Bridgettalladega: So? Doesn't make much sense...but I do love those sentences! Tell me if you want the story! **


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